Pittsburgh Mission Trip Blogs

Jenna Terpstra wrote todays update!

"Today was our first full day in Pittsburgh and for the church service we spent two hours worshipping with the congregation of Cornerstone Church. It was so cool to see the congregation worship without worrying what they would look like and what others would think of them; they were just fully pouring their hearts out to the Lord. After the service, the ladies from the church hosted a luncheon for our group and we were able to talk with the pastors and members of the church and learn more about their lives here in Pittsburgh. The rest of the day was given to bond with the group and we played games, watched the NBA finals, ate good food, and even made a trip to the community pool. Overall, I can clearly see the Lord working through numerous people and experiences throughout this trip."

POWER UPDATE: Power was returned to the building hours after the crash happened, but this whole day it was off and on until the evening, when it came back for good. The AC still works!

Today's update comes from Esther King:

"Today was the first day of service for the group. We started off early at 7:30am to do our morning devotions and eating breakfast, after our phones were taken for a screen free day. Then the group split up and went separate ways to work on various projects. One group headed over to Light of Life homeless ministries to sort and shelf food and other necessities for the food pantries. Also at light of life we organized and moved furniture to help organize their free store for the homeless. The other half of our group went to a local church to help with yard work in the intense heat to give a helping hand. Although the days work was hard, we all felt the joy of helping out a community in need, and spreading the love of Jesus. Later that day when we returned back to cornerstone church where we have been staying. We all took badly needed showers, then had dinner and begin group activities. We did our afternoon devotions then we all hopped in the big white vans to get ice cream together. We all ended the night with a fun game of mafia then went to sleep at 10:30 to prepare for the next day of hard work!"

Today's Update comes from Jayden Groeneveld:

"Today was another adventure in Pittsburgh, starting bright and early (well, bright-ish for some of us, ahem, totally didn't sleep in). We headed over to the Red Door organization to tackle a mountain of donated food. Our mission? To pack those shelves like it was the last grocery run before the zombie apocalypse. We shuffled, sorted, and stacked until our arms felt like overcooked spaghetti.

But seriously, what really struck us wasn't just the sheer volume of cans (though there were enough to build a small fort), it was the incredible kindness we witnessed. Even though the Red Door was technically closed for the day, the staff still took the time to help some people who came to the door, making sure no one left hungry. And the homeless folks? They were genuinely some of the nicest, most grateful people we've ever met, even though I personally didn't get to talk to many of them. It was a beautiful reminder that even when things are inconvenient, like getting held up after closing, people are still willing to give their time and kindness. Maybe it's a Pittsburgh thing, or maybe it's just the good vibes flowing from all that shelf-stocking.

After our shelf-stocking marathon, we swapped our indoor roles for outdoor ones and went to Cornerstone Church to help clean up the outside. And let me tell you, it was hot. We raked, swept, and tidied, making sure the grounds looked spick and span, all while trying to avoid melting into puddles. It was a good way to get some fresh air and feel even more connected to the community we're serving, even if that fresh air felt like it was straight from an oven.

Finally, after a day of feeling like professional grocery store employees and church groundskeepers (who apparently work in saunas), we earned a little fun. We swapped our work gloves for putters and hit the mini-golf course. There were some questionable swings, a few balls that inexplicably refused to go in the hole (despite our best efforts), and a truly massive score that we'll just say was epic in its own way. It was the perfect way to unwind and realize that while helping others is incredibly rewarding, so is a competitive round of mini-golf with friends."

Today's update comes from Elizabeth Doezema:

"Wow, today we had another amazing day serving the Pittsburgh community. We started early this morning with devotions and breakfast before the two groups split up and went their separate ways. My group made the drive into downtown Pittsburgh to serve at Red Door ministries. This is a Catholic organization that provides the homeless with clothes and food completely for free. The girls’ task was to organize all the clothing donations. We then went outside and took “orders” for the people waiting in line, and went to grab it, bag it, and bring it back out to them. Seeing the joy on their faces receiving the things they needed was a one-of-a-kind experience. The boys cleaned a priest’s room so that another priest could move in, and also cut and packaged bread to hand out later.

Meanwhile, the other group was back at the same church, Greenstone, where we have been working on this whole week. There was a wall that had decomposed and fallen apart, and as a result dirt was spilling into the parking spots. So, the mission for the morning was to dig up the wall, rebuild it, and landscape around it, in the 95 degree sun. Let me just say they crushed it.

After lunch, my group joined the second group at the church. Our task was to oil all the pews and seats in the sanctuary and vacuum all of the carpet. Although there was no AC, we put our minds to it and grinded it out by 3 o’clock. When we returned and all took much needed showers, we had pierogies for dinner. What’s that? Pasta filled with mashed potatoes, (Yes it was as good as it sounds). Together, we ended the amazing day with debrief and devotions before heading to bed to get a good night of rest before our last day of service."

Today's update comes from Lizzie Stob:

"Today was another great day! To start off, we headed over to Chick-Fil-A to eat some breakfast! Then we split into two groups. Some of us headed over to Light Of Life Homeless Ministries to help out there! The boys helped throw out old furniture and sorted through donation boxes! The girls helped sort shirts by sizes and put together care packages! We then broke down some boxes and I got to take a fun ride in a recycling bin :)

The other half of the group headed back to Cornerstone Church to help out with some maintenance there! They did lots of yard work and cleaned up inside too. For lunch the people helping out at Light of Life met back with the others at the Cornerstone for some pizza! In the afternoon we finished up work here at Cornerstone and then headed out to go play Top Golf and eat some dinner! After dinner we came back for devotions and community time! Overall, it was a great time and I can’t believe it’s our last day with Praying Pelicans! Can’t wait to have another great day tomorrow!"

From Matt: Tomorrow, we’ll be leaving Cornerstone Church after an amazing week and spending the day exploring Pittsburgh before heading to the Pirates vs. Mets game in the evening. We look forward to getting closer as a group and talkin about what it looks like to take the things we've learned back home!

Normally one of our students would write this update, but right now the girls are eating appetizers in bed and the guys are midway through a self-inflicted hot sauce challenge—so we gave them the night off. I(Matt) decided to write this one for the group.

We spent today doing some exploring around the city and taking time to reflect on everything this week has meant.

Our first stop was to see the city from the Duquesne Incline which is an incredibly old transportation system that got people up and down the hills of Pittsburgh for work and play alike. We took a round trip down and then back up the mountain. It was pretty incredible, and we learned that a couple people in our group aren't super fond of heights!

Our next stop was at the Strip District—an area just outside downtown Pittsburgh that’s full of small shops, food markets, and local culture. It gave our group a chance to walk around, pick up a few souvenirs, and visit Grandpa Joe’s Candy Store, which is known for having just about every candy imaginable. Everybody left with bags full of candy they definitely didn’t need, but absolutely wanted.

From there we grabbed lunch at Raising Cane’s, a fast-food chain known for its chicken tenders and signature sauce. It’s not something we have in Grand Rapids, so it was fun for students to try something new.

In the afternoon we headed to a nearby park to spend time processing the trip and having an honest conversation about what it means to be missionaries at home. It’s one thing to serve on a trip like this, but another thing to live it out in daily life back in Grand Rapids. We talked about what that could look like and how we could incorporate the students ideas for local missions into a new program piece for our group called "Serve Saturdays". You'll be hearing more about that in the weeks to come.

Later in the day we got some downtime to swim back at the hotel before heading to the Pirates baseball game. They played the Mets and despite a rainstorm that threatened to cancel the game, came away with a W. After the game, there was a drone show over the stadium, which was a cool way to end the night. Now we're back in the hotel and most likely no will sleep tonight, but we've got a 6 hour car ride tomorrow to get everyone rested up.

As I sit here mentally prepping for that drive tomorrow, I'm grateful for everything this week has held and looking forward to discerning the best next steps for our group. This will most likely be the last update for these blogs, but I'm incredibly thankful you've followed along and would love to tell any of you more about this experience in person over coffee or around a breakfast/lunch/dinner table.